Chapter 11: Efran

Efran peeked his eyes on the small hole of the carriage. They've gone to the dark and tall forest. He could see some spots of the sunny skies, but the leaves were too thick and crowded, making the surroundings dim. As they went deeper, the trees they were passing through were starting to blend with tree huts, guarded with black soldiers on their bows and arrows, and most of them were red and green scarfed. Until he saw a gigantic walls made of thick woods, and on the arc of the gate they entered, displaying:

Legionnaire Special Operation Forces

The carriage stopped, and the guards opened the door to check the inside. When they confirmed that it was just him, they shut the door, three knocks, and they moved.

He continued watching through the hole. Tents, torches, lamp posts, scattered marching soldiers like scattered river currents. While others were sparring fist to fist with a swift martial art to put the enemy on the ground, sword fights, shooting arrows in firing range, creating water from the mists, practicing vines to use as whips and restrainer, and growing crops like a laboratory experiment. Until they stopped, the door cracked open and soldiers guided him to the headquarters tent.

He started looking at the sides filled with cans holding huge scrolled maps. The other sides were weapons: bows, lances, throwing glaives, axes, hoe, and swords. He ran his eyes forward through some flowers displayed, torches, until he saw a huge shouldered man, ginger beard and hair, pale freckled skin, and green eyes.

The man stood up, palms on the table, with an unbelievable look full of loneliness. "E-Efran," he said, while waiting for the shadows in Efran's face to drive away by the torches, until he saw the young version of him.

The man scurried to Efran and gave him a warm choking hug. Efran froze. Since when did he last feel his father's warmth? A familiar sensation that he missed, begging to stay like this forever. But then he remembered: the fights between his mother, about money, cold treatment, and woman. Words were like sadist knives stabbing her heart a thousand times. He always heard her mother's cry in the bathroom, almost every night, since the day that his father changed.

He hated it. His chest started to blaze in rage again. He loathed this man. He already buried him in his imagination deeper than a hundred feet. But despite all of those memories, the warmth restrained him not to move. Another childhood memory flashed back. Their sword plays, commander role plays, morse code puzzles, huntings, and other memories like he saw in the park.

His fingers flinched, not sure if he should also raise his arms to wrap back to his father's back. Until his father was done, grabbing his shoulders, tears on his cheeks. He felt guilty of being cold to his father.

"Your mother said you were gone. I thought something happened to you but," he wiped his tears. Efran was moved. The general then smiled widely–a super excited one. "You just secretly applied in the military! Now my dream has come true to have a soldier son! I can finally pass on my legacy!"

Efran's face became blank. All those consciences were gone. He was used to hearing the stupid legacy talks. His father wanted him just for this lame soldier title, and not for Efran as his son–whoever he was–in his downfalls, triumphs, regrets and success.

Efran lost his appetite. He'll just wear a bit more patience until everyone goes outside so he could kick his father's ball, wishing he could go back to that place and vanish like an air–Efran, the semen who never swam across his mother's ocean as he died coldly in the warm blanket. But his father announced a bad news.

"Efran, zifa was starting its mass production and will plague the streets soon. You know that we're preparing for the world war to come. The Levithia has Firaija Empire. Their technology and Firaijan flames had combined, so we needed a strong defense. But our country was facing civil wars, and added this drug that will weaken the kingdom more before the war would come. Your mother never told me that you're a Florazu, and I never knew that your mother has a blood of Razua."

"Mother didn't know either. I only kept it to myself, that's why it's still weak and I can't use it in a fight."

"Fight won't be a priority to you."

"I don't need your special treatment just because I'm your son."

"No, son, your task will be the hardest one."

Efran blew all his temper through an exasperated sigh, but he needed to fight the urge to kick his father's fearless balls. He missed his routine in Llouie's office–cheating on the typewriter, napping after, daydreaming, writing, and sleeping at eight in the evening to wake up at seven, or at ten if weekdays. Fourteen hours sleep. He sighed. Just thinking about it made his heart flutter and excited.

But this was the reality: The general glanced over his shoulders to the man in a black uniform, one star on shoulder, wearing a brown scarf. "Lavis. My son can sense the fibers of plants and clothes. He might have a use in your research."

"Yes, Sir."

Efran sighed again as he followed. He knew it. His father only looked for him because he has a use. The general neglected his older son because he had no interest in military staff, but only to music and arts. Efran was his only successor once he retired, but Efran suddenly decided to change path just like his brother and mother–the love of abstracts, literature and melody. A very weak and feminine hobby that won't even lead you to big money.

Lavis led him to the tent, but it was only filled with prototype dynamites and scrolls of blueprints. Efran was expecting more. Until Lavis grabbed two flint stones, sparked in front of the thread, fires crawled, requiring seconds before reaching the dynamite.

Efran stepped a little backward. "This is some sort of hidden entrance mechanic, right?"

Lavis smiled. "No, I'm blowing the whole camp now."

Efran doubted his words, eyes following the small bursting flare eating the threads. He's just joking, he calmed himself. But as the flare reached the red cylinders, kaboom!

"What the f*ck!" he shrieked.

Efran didn't know what happened, but he fell on the ground, with his heartbeats trying to vomit from his chest. No sound ringing in his ears, and no lights blinding his eyes. Just a tunnel with torches guiding the way.

"Are you okay?" Lavis chuckles echoed from above. As he tilted his head, he saw a wide psychotic grins.

One, two, and five seconds of shock embraced Enear's blank mind until his lips turned up and laughed at all the surprise he felt. Lavis now jumped from above to join him and laugh together as the ground door on their heads slowly closed.

Lavis offered his hand. "Did you like the grand entrance?"

"I-I don't know but it's thrilling! Like I'm in a fantasy adventure treasure hunting action novel!" Efran came back to his delusional mindset.

"Now then, down to business."

~

Only the thumping sounds of their boots broke the silence of the dark aisle, walls and ceiling joint in curve formation, as they passed through the torches. Minutes had passed before they could finally reach the destination–the dead end of the wall.

"Are you going to explode dynamite again?" Efran asked, staring at the smooth rocks in their front. He felt he was in a cave rather than a tunnel.

Lavis shrugged. "Nope. Just a switch password." He then pushed something on the wall, and it moved, showing them a large white room inside with lamps all over the ceilings, lightening beakers, flasks with tubes connected from one another, over the tables, and over the shelves full of bottle jars.

Efran sauntered inside, mesmerizing each of the equipment. "Wow. I-I've never seen like this before."

Lavis went straight to the table and Efran followed him. Lavis opened the bottle and poured the powder on the table. "This is Zifa," he said, then he gently lifted his fingers in the air and some of the powder floated. "Phosphorite."

He set aside those floated powder he called phosphorite. He then sliced half of the powder through his fingers. "Based on my tests, half of these contained acetone, methanol, and ammonia. While half of this was unknown."

Efran massaged his invisible beard, a mystery filled with curiosity. "Hmm..."

"I tried making Zifa with the elements I only know," Lavis said and picked a bottle from the shelf. He opened it and lent it to Efran. "Do you want to taste it?"

Efran jumped away. "Hell no!" he shrieked out.

Lavis chuckled, shook off the tip to pour some in his palms, stuck out his tongue and licked some of the powders.

"What the hell?" Efran was disgustingly surprised.

Lavis made a sticky sound as he tried to savor the taste in his tongue and palate.

"It still doesn't taste the same as zifa. It also has no addictive and hallucination effect."

Efran almost shouted in disbelief, "Don't tell me you're tasting zifa too?"

Lavis shrugged. "Well, that's part of the job. No one would taste it except me. Or do you want to be my taster?"

"B-But the drug is dangerous, right? Addictive!"

Lavis went silent, twisting the cover to close the bottle and putting it back on the shelf. Until he finally answered, "This is for our country, Efran. If you can't make a little sacrifice, all our flesh will be buried in the ground for the next two years. If dying is inevitable, I would rather do something impactful before that happens."

Efran didn't know what to say. He has some points–a big point. He then looked around and noticed something.

"You're alone in this research?"

"Yup. Some have potential to be my crew, especially Aerozu and Aquazu sensors–detecting gas and liquid, breaking into pieces, separating compound elements, and sorting out atoms from another. But as soon as I started to ask the names of each particle, guessing their scientific family, they started to doze off." Lavis sighed in disappointment. Efran gulped. He could doze off with or without scientific names as long as he felt the urge to sleep.

Lavis flicked his finger. "Back to our study. My nearest conclusion, it must be something that could produce content, such as... uhm..." He made a clicking sound through his fingers again about four times while looking up at the ceiling until he found the answer. "A chemical change. Like burning, photosynthesis, bacteria, fermentation, or what. Try to use your flora if you can detect or control anything."

Efran closed his eyes, breathed slowly and deeply, then sighed. He could sense oregano leaves, moringa, yellow ginger, ginseng, fermenting grapes, but they were all somewhere around the shelves, and not on the table. Now, he zoomed his focus at his front, focused on the powders–but he barely felt them. Though there's a little something but he can't even recognize it. Maybe due to chemical change so the components might not be in Florazu's reach anymore.

He ended up giving off a gentle shrug on his shoulders. "I-I felt it's too much and...I think I need some practice sorting things. Not just raw in materials but also their chemical changes or combinations to other elements.

"Well, it seems you're still clueless about chemistry. As for starters, let me teach you about medicines."

Efran Fritz
The Forge Priest

MVCabusas | The Invisible King